Method of preserving milk and milk products.



A. 1, DA VIS. METHOD OF PRESERVING MILK. AND MILK PRODUCTS.

. APPLICATION FILED DEC-18.191].

9% I Patented Oct. 26, 1915.

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A. J. DAVIS.

METHGD 0F PRESERVING MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 18. 1911.

Patented Oct. 26, 1915.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented (lot. ac, rain.

Application filed December 18, 1911. Serial No. 666,535.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that T, ALBERT J. DAVIS, a'

citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city, county, andState of New York,

have invented a Method of Preserving Milk and Milk Products, of whichthe following is a specification.

The principal objects of my inventlon are to preserve milk and milkproducts for as long a time as possible, and without materially changingtheir character except by the removal of the injurious bacteria from theproducts.

. long a time as possible, but without materially changing theircharacter.

My invention consists in subjecting the milk or milk products to apasteurizing temperature of from about one hundred and thirty five toone hundred and sixty five degrees Fahrenheit (135 to 165 F),introducing said products at said pasteurizing temperature into cleanand preferably hot bottles, jars, or other receptacles, the temperatureof said receptacles at such time when hot being about or near that ofsaid pasteurizing, then closing the receptacles while they and theinclosed products are at said temperatures. After this the closedreceptacles containing the pasteurized products, may be held at saidtemperature for any deSired time in order to insure completepasteurization, and then allowed to cool at the ordinary temperature, orcooled 1n any convenient manner, as desired.

The accompanying drawing is a diagram-' matic illustration of apparatussuch as could be used for carrying out my invention in the treatment ofmilk'or milk products.

Figure 1 represents a bottle washing apparatus, a milk pasteurizer, abottle filling and stoppering' machine, and one end of a device forholding the bottled milk or milk products at an even temperature, andFig. 2 represents the other end of said device and a cooling apparatus.

The following characters represent like parts in both figures: 1 is anordinary milk bottle washing apparatus, 2 is a milk pas teurizer, 3 is amilk bottle filling machine, 4 is a bottle stoppering machine, 5 is anapparatus for keeping milk or similar products at an even temperature, 6is a cooling apparatus, and 7 is a table beyond said apparatus.

All of the above devices are preferably used in my improved method ofpreserving milk and similar milk products, and all of said devicesexcept the pasteurizer being arranged in continuous order from thebottle washing apparatus to the final cooling apparatus and deliverytable.

The bottle washing apparatus is provided with a receptacle 8 which isnearly closed, leaving room, however, for the admission to and outletfrom the same of boxes or cases containing milk bottles. Extendinglongitudinally within and beyond said receptacle 8 is a horizontalsupport 9 preferably in the form of rails for supporting the boxescontaining the milk bottles and guiding them thereon. This support ortable 9 continues beyond the washing apparatus 1 through the bottlefilling and stoppering machines and to the apparatus for keeping theeven temperature, 5. Supported underthe rails of the support 9 areshallow jackets 10, into which are led small outlet pipes 11. Otheroutlet pipes 12 are situated within the {casing 8 above the support 9,and both pipes 11 and 12 are connected with supply pipes 13 from asource of hot water or other liquid supply under pressure, as, forexample, from apump 14.

15 is a receiving tank for the pasteurized milk which enters said tankfrom the pasteurizer hereinafter to be described.

16 is a vertically movable platform, which is adapted to be raised andlowered at will by means of bell crank lever 17 18, the handle beingshown at 17.

19 represents the ordinary spring valves that are connected with thetank 15 for the purpose of filling the milk bottles, when they areraised by the platform 16 so that the necks of said bottles will pressupon the lower ends of said valves and open the same.

20 is a tank for holding the supply of milk to be treated. Extendingdownward from said tank is an'inlet pipe 21 for the passage of the milkfrom the tank 20 into the pasteurizer 2.

22 is a steam inlet pipe for the introduction of steam into a steamjacket 23 surrounding the inlet pipe 21. Surrounding the outer wall ofsaid jacket 23 is a casing and wall and a passageway at the bottom ofsaid casing from said space outward.

Outside of the casing 24 is the exterior casing 25 which is preferablycorrugated,- there also being alspace between said two casings 24 and25. The top of casing 24 is closed,

as is also the top of the casing 25 except for the introduction of theoutlet pipe 28. Both ends of the steam jacket 23 are closed, and saidupper ends are also connected by a closed dome or ceiling, except forthe passage therethrough of the outlet end of the pipe 21. The outletpipe 28, as above stated passes through the closed top of the outercasing 25 and extends down into the tank 15 of the bottle fillingmachine 3.

29 represents milk -bottles inclosed in an ordinary box or casing 30.

31 represents the vertical tubes for containing the ordinary paper orsimilar disk stoppers for the milkbottles, and 32 is the handle leverfor forcing the same down to the bottles and inserting the disks orotherstoppers.

33 is. an endless carrier provided with wings or partitions 34 extendingoutward from the same, and for the purpose of dividing 'the device 5into compartments, since said wings 34 extend to, or almost to, the topof said device 5.

'35 is a jacket for hot water or steam forthe purpose of keepmg thedevice 5 and whatever is in said device of practically the sametemperature assaid jacket. 3

The cooling apparatus 6 is supplied with" tanks 36, 37 for water orotherliquid, said tanks being divided by a partition 38. There may be as manyof these tanks as desired, but the last tank should be for cold liquid,preferably iced. The preceding tank or tanks may be of warmer water,those of each succeeding tank being for liquid colder than the precedingone. The carrier 34 is adapted'to pass not only through the device 5 butthrough the cooling apparatus 6, and the tank or tanks of saidapparatus. For this purpose I have shown the partition 38 in the form ofa double incline and with the carrier 33, 34 passing through said tanksand over said incline, to the delivery table 7. There is also a declinefor the carrier 33, 34 from the device 5into the first tank 36 of thecooler 6, and there is an incline from the last tank 37 to deliverytable 7. The carrier 33, 34 can be operated in any manner, as, forexample, by providing it with sprocket chains passing over ordinarysprocket wheels 39.

My improved method when used with the above described apparatus is asfollows: The boxes-or empty bottles 29, 30 are first inserted in thereceptacle 8 of thewashing apparatus 1 on the rails of the support 9,over the jackets 10. The hot water-is caused by the pump 14 .to beforced through the pipes 11 and 12 so that the interior of the bottlesand the boxes and the exterior of the same shall be completelywashed and'pre'f pasteurizer, which heats the milk to a tem-.

perature about 135 to 165 F., preferably somewhat over 135, to preventtoo much cooling of the milk before it enters the bottles. The milk inthe pasteurizer 2 is heated by the surrounding steam jacket 23, the milkpassing up through the pipe 21, into the dome above the steam jacket andoutside of said jacket, and then around the inner casing 24 and out ofthe pipe 28 into the tank 15. The boxes of bottles 29, 30 are then drawnout of the washing apparatus 1, and turned right side up upon theplatform 16 of the filler 3. Said platform is then raised by the lever17, 18 so that the outlet ends of the valves 19 enter the mouths of saidbottles, and the pasteurized milk from the tank 15 enters the bottles29. The temperature of the bottle washing machine 1 in order to producethe best results should keep the bottles up to as near as possible thetemperature of the pasteurized milk that is to enter said bottles. Afterthe bottles have been filled, the platform 16 is lowered, and the boxesof bottles 29, 30 are drawn along the rails of the platform 9 un- .derthe tubes 31 of the stoppering machine,

when the disk stoppers are inserted in the necks of the bottles in theusual manner by means of the handle 32 forcing the disks or stoppersinto the bottle necks. Up to this point the milk at a pasteurizingtemperature has been introduced into the clean bottles when they were atpractically the same temperature, and sealed. If desired, the filledbottles will then be allowed to cool naturally, or in, any desiredmanner. The best results for insuring complete pasteurization, however,are attained by retaining the filled bottles at the pasteurizingtemperature for some little time, and this can be done by passing thefilled bottles 29 in the boxes 30 onto the carrier 33 between twoadjacent wings 34, and then drawing the same through the device 5 overthe heating jacket 35. The carrier can be operated at will as fast or asslowly as desired, or it may remain quiet for a while with the filledbottles inside the reoeptacle 5. In the apparatus above described andillustrated in the drawings, after the filled bottles in the boxes havebeen passed by the carrier out of the device 5, they are carried downinto the tank of cooling liquid 36, and then pass into a tank of a stillcolder liquid 37 and then from said tank out upon the delivery table 17,when'the bottles containing the milk are ready for sale or shipment. Asabove stated, the last tank 37 should be very cold and for containingiced water or some other rapidly cooling medium.

I am aware that it is old to preserve milk by sterilizing it, but thistreatment entirely changes the character of the milk, in fact, it boilsit. The main object to be attained in preserving milk is to still retainits original character. l[ have, found that cold bottles or receptaclesaccumulate a large amount of injurious bacteria, which soon causeseverything that is placed therein to spoil and renders it unfit for use.The cleaning of the bottles at a temperature of 135 to 165 F., andretaining them at this-temperature while the milk at practically thesame temperature is inserted therein, and then the sealing of thebottles will accomplish the purpose of preventing the admission andgrowth of injurious bacteria in the bottles and inthe milk. When thebottles treated in the manner above described are kept at a temperatureof the pasteurized milk at say from 135 to 165, for a short time andthen afterward cooled, the milk may be kept pure and fresh for aconsiderable length of time without any extra refrigeration oradditional cooling.

I do not limit myself to the precise method above set forth, nor to theapparatus above described and shown in the drawings, as it will beevident that many changes may be made therein without departing from thespirit of my invention, or sacrificing its principal advantages.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The improved method of preserving milk and similar productsconsisting in pasteurizing the same, then While at its pasteurizingtemperature and without intermediate treatment, introducing it into aclean heated receptacle and closing said receptacle while hot, and withthe product at the pasteurizing temperature. I

2. The improved method of, preserving milk and similar productsconsisting in pasteurizing the same, then while at its pasteurizingtemperature and without intermediate treatment, introducing it into aclean receptacle heated to pasteurizing temperature and closing saidreceptacle while hot.

3. The improved method of preserving milk and similar productsconsisting in pasteurizing the same, then while at its pasteurizingtemperature and without intermediate treatment, introducing it into aclean heated receptacle, closing said receptacle while hot, and with theproduct at the pasteurizing temperature, and rapidly cooling thereceptacle and inclosed product.

4. The improved method of preserving milk and similar productsconsisting in pasteurizing the same, then while at its pasteurizingtemperature and without intermediate treatment, introducing it into aclean receptacle heated to pasteurizing temperature, then closing saidreceptacle, and cooling the receptacle and inclosed'product.

5. The improved method of preserving milk and. similar productsconsisting 'in pasteurizing the same, then while at its pasteurizingtemperature and without intermediate treatment, introducing it into aclean receptacle heated to pasteurizing temperature,

then closing said receptacle, then retaining the receptacle and inclosedproduct at substantially the same temperature for an appreciable timeand then cooling the same.

6. The improved method of preserving milk and similar productsconsisting in pasteurizing the same, then while at its pasteurizingtemperature and without intermediate treatment introducing it into aclean heated receptacle, closing sald receptacle while hot, and with theproduct at the pasteurizing temperature and retaining for an appreciabletime the receptacle and inclosed product at substantially the sametemperature, andthen cooling the same, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

